dj_bigbird:radarlove: At what point does a disorder become an order order become a disorder? When 51% of us are nuts, is nuts the new norm?

FTFY. Pretty much anything that it's docile submission to teachers, parents, law enforcement, etc. is a disorder that can only be dealt with by drugging.

Well put, and I think that it really gets at the crux of the problem- we've become a society that takes the easy way out. Instead of sitting down with people and helping them work out their problems and find a path that works for their unique mindset, we pump them full of chemicals.

I don't deny that there are a few severe disorders out there that genuinely require the use of serious, mind-altering medications. Those disorders, though, are few and far between, and we throw pills at people at the first signs of trouble. I have been subject to this myself on multiple occasions.

radarlove:dj_bigbird: radarlove: At what point does a disorder become an order order become a disorder? When 51% of us are nuts, is nuts the new norm?

FTFY. Pretty much anything that it's docile submission to teachers, parents, law enforcement, etc. is a disorder that can only be dealt with by drugging.

Well put, and I think that it really gets at the crux of the problem- we've become a society that takes the easy way out. Instead of sitting down with people and helping them work out their problems and find a path that works for their unique mindset, we pump them full of chemicals.

I don't deny that there are a few severe disorders out there that genuinely require the use of serious, mind-altering medications. Those disorders, though, are few and far between, and we throw pills at people at the first signs of trouble. I have been subject to this myself on multiple occasions.

The problem is the reluctance to admit that these problems exist in children -- like they magically appear once you turn 18.

Also, when it comes to mental disorders/problems... that requires a lot of work on part of the patient to admit it. Compared to a disease like cancer or whatever, where its pretty damn clear if you have it or not. And the nature of most mental disorders generally includes a reluctance to admit it. Or seek help. Or even talk about it.

How many people with depression are open about it? Certainly not 100%. How about addiction... hell, no where CLOSE to 100%. One of the main symptoms of addiction is *specifically* not being willing to discuss/admit it. Even to yourself.

So I always take these numbers with a grain of salt. Actually, a big old *brick* of salt.

FTA: "This is a deliberate effort by CDC to show mental health is a health issue. As with any health concern, the more attention we give to it, the better. It's parents becoming aware of the facts and talking to a health-care provider about how their child is learning, behaving and playing with other kids,"buying some drugs for their children.

The problem is the reluctance to admit that these problems exist in children -- like they magically appear once you turn 18.

When I was in school administration I experienced the exact opposite. Sometimes it came from parents looking to shift blame to a diagnosis to explain away their shortcomings as caregivers, or looking to qualify a student for special education services so that he or she could have extra supports for test taking. Some parents would refuse to exit their students from special education services even after the student completed all of their goals.

Allow me to make it even easier for you in order to remove the temptation completely- that was an explicit admission that I've been treated by professionals for psychological issues, in this case depression. I find no shame in this- even Hamlet had The Melancholy. Now I realize that this is an uncomfortable amount of candor because we usually keep these issues to ourselves, but in the scope of the topic of over-prescribing dangerous, brain-changing chemicals and the adverse affects that these medications can have, I feel that it is important to be candid and forthcoming about my background.

You heartless people DON'T UNDERSTAND. My five-year-old has ADHD. Do you know what it's like to try and keep him from acting out when we go to a midnight movie? His Kindergarten teacher says he should know his ABCs by now, but it's just too hard for him because he'd rather play with his XBox. His life coach has tried to tell the school administration that he's not really a school-focused learner, but they threatened to take him from me if I don't make him go to a place he doesn't want to. I can only hope that people come around and understand that my child is extremely special and should be appreciated for his uniqueness.

gimmegimme:You heartless people DON'T UNDERSTAND. My five-year-old has ADHD. Do you know what it's like to try and keep him from acting out when we go to a midnight movie? His Kindergarten teacher says he should know his ABCs by now, but it's just too hard for him because he'd rather play with his XBox. His life coach has tried to tell the school administration that he's not really a school-focused learner, but they threatened to take him from me if I don't make him go to a place he doesn't want to. I can only hope that people come around and understand that my child is extremely special and should be appreciated for his uniqueness.

Is this where I should rant and rave about omg they want to drug our children!

Or I could read the actual CDC article that states that 13-20% of U.S children experience mental illness sometime during a given year. Add on to that they are using diagnosis numbers, of which general practitioners constitute a frightening large percentage of, and I struggle to find what the surprise is. Can we just require psychiatrist/psychologist diagnosis as a requirement for a mental illness diagnosis, and not have general practitioners who know little of current psychology diagnose a kid because the parents think the kid has it?

There's mental disorders and there's mental disorders that would benefit from intervention.

I've always had this low grade depression, but it's not something that would be made better by drugs or money. It requires a distraction, goals and what not. The list of side effects from anti-depressants is enough to make me feel a little better.

WhippingBoy:gimmegimme: You heartless people DON'T UNDERSTAND. My five-year-old has ADHD. Do you know what it's like to try and keep him from acting out when we go to a midnight movie? His Kindergarten teacher says he should know his ABCs by now, but it's just too hard for him because he'd rather play with his XBox. His life coach has tried to tell the school administration that he's not really a school-focused learner, but they threatened to take him from me if I don't make him go to a place he doesn't want to. I can only hope that people come around and understand that my child is extremely special and should be appreciated for his uniqueness.

He's also a genius, right?

Well, he's already sharing at a third-grade level, but that's unofficial. It would be wrong to quantify performance in any way.

WhippingBoy:gimmegimme: You heartless people DON'T UNDERSTAND. My five-year-old has ADHD. Do you know what it's like to try and keep him from acting out when we go to a midnight movie? His Kindergarten teacher says he should know his ABCs by now, but it's just too hard for him because he'd rather play with his XBox. His life coach has tried to tell the school administration that he's not really a school-focused learner, but they threatened to take him from me if I don't make him go to a place he doesn't want to. I can only hope that people come around and understand that my child is extremely special and should be appreciated for his uniqueness.

1) the average diet today is so sugar loaded/ processed and chemically treated that many people barely eat real food anymore. So along with messing up internal chemical balance we continue to get fatter.

2) It was mentioned in the article. The amount of money treating these diagnosis is astronomical to the point that it is higher than the GDP of some countries.

Fatter, imbalanced and relying on drugs, a dumber populace too and we wonder why the politicians and CEOs know they can get away with whatever they want. As long as they provide good theatre doing it.

gimmegimme:You heartless people DON'T UNDERSTAND. My five-year-old has ADHD. Do you know what it's like to try and keep him from acting out when we go to a midnight movie? His Kindergarten teacher says he should know his ABCs by now, but it's just too hard for him because he'd rather play with his XBox. His life coach has tried to tell the school administration that he's not really a school-focused learner, but they threatened to take him from me if I don't make him go to a place he doesn't want to. I can only hope that people come around and understand that my child is extremely special and should be appreciated for his uniqueness.

1) the average diet today is so sugar loaded/ processed and chemically treated that many people barely eat real food anymore. So along with messing up internal chemical balance we continue to get fatter.

2) It was mentioned in the article. The amount of money treating these diagnosis is astronomical to the point that it is higher than the GDP of some countries.

Fatter, imbalanced and relying on drugs, a dumber populace too and we wonder why the politicians and CEOs know they can get away with whatever they want. As long as they provide good theatre doing it.

Hey, check your aesthetic privilege. My five-year-old son is 100 pounds overweight because his condition makes him cry until I feed him enough. During his school recess, they even make him run around outside with the other children, even though they know he's receiving countless microaggressions because of his weight and would prefer to sit in a dark, cool place inside. He doesn't CHOOSE to look the way he does and no one understands!

gimmegimme:You heartless people DON'T UNDERSTAND. My five-year-old has ADHD. Do you know what it's like to try and keep him from acting out when we go to a midnight movie? His Kindergarten teacher says he should know his ABCs by now, but it's just too hard for him because he'd rather play with his XBox. His life coach has tried to tell the school administration that he's not really a school-focused learner, but they threatened to take him from me if I don't make him go to a place he doesn't want to. I can only hope that people come around and understand that my child is extremely special and should be appreciated for his uniqueness.

Take him out into the woods, hand him his XBox, tell him that there is an outlet in a tree just over the next hill, and drive away as fast as you can! If he makes it home alive then all is good. If not, well, all is still good.

Theeng:Can we just require psychiatrist/psychologist diagnosis as a requirement for a mental illness diagnosis, and not have general practitioners who know little of current psychology diagnose a kid because the parents think the kid has it?

Yes. Its called Integrated Care and its mandated by the ACA.

DISCLAIMER:I am a LPC in the state of VA and I work crisis intervention which requires me to diagnose people for a living all day long.

Believe me, I have heard every complaint out there about over diagnosis and its a very real problem. Integrated care basically creates jobs for mental health professionals in GP offices specifically to field and diagnose mental health issues. The problem with the medical model is that doctors generally get 15 minutes with a patient and they are supposed to move on quickly. This teaches doctors to ignore mental health red flags because they are either not trained/don't have enough time to deal with it. Instead they just write up an outside referral and hope for the best. But of course most people with serious mental health issues won't seek out counseling because our society places such a large stigma on mental illness. No one wants to be seen getting out of their car at the counselors office. Integrated Care brings mental health worker into the GP offices so if a doctor picks up on some symptoms or other mental issues, they no longer have to give the patient an outside referral they can just send them down the hallway and it becomes like a one stop shop. This also cuts down on GP's giving out diagnoses that they know nothing about (because there is a HUGE difference between medical diagnoses and mental health diagnosis).tl;dr: Integrated Care = GOOD

Mock26:gimmegimme: You heartless people DON'T UNDERSTAND. My five-year-old has ADHD. Do you know what it's like to try and keep him from acting out when we go to a midnight movie? His Kindergarten teacher says he should know his ABCs by now, but it's just too hard for him because he'd rather play with his XBox. His life coach has tried to tell the school administration that he's not really a school-focused learner, but they threatened to take him from me if I don't make him go to a place he doesn't want to. I can only hope that people come around and understand that my child is extremely special and should be appreciated for his uniqueness.

Take him out into the woods, hand him his XBox, tell him that there is an outlet in a tree just over the next hill, and drive away as fast as you can! If he makes it home alive then all is good. If not, well, all is still good.

He has very acute allergies to bark, pollen, chlorophyll and dirt and he's orientation-declined. You have no idea how hard it is to get the accommodations he needs.